Sometimes SEO can be draining and overwhelming. After all, getting found online for your creative business takes loads of work and energy. You need time to do proper research, make tweaks on your website, and after all that, create blog content. You need to be mindful of not just your audience’s needs, but Google updates and website issues, too. So for today’s post, I wanted to share some Google tricks and fun things you probably have never heard of… let’s call them DIY SEO hacks part 2. Check out DIY SEO hacks part 1.

7 Fun and easy Google Hacks to try in 2017- SEO tips

#1. Quotation marks in search. Ever wonder how many websites are ranking for a the exact term keyword you thought of? Well, there is an easy way to find out and see the data. Add quotations around your search term, and voila, you will see who is ranking for those exact terms.

Example: If I google SEO for creatives (without the quotation marks), I see 630,000 results.

If I google a related term, SEO for creative bloggers in the same way, I see over 800k.

Now, let me see how many are ranking for those exact keywords. Add the quotes and check out how that reduces the number of results.

Since the second one has less competition, that may be the one for me to go after and try. I like a balance of results. If there are barely any results, this can mean not enough search volume, but that’s not always the case, so you have to dig some more.

I avoid keywords that have barely any results unless I see lots of search volume in places like Keyword Planner, and I avoid key terms that have way too much competition. If you’re not sure which you should choose, just comment below for feedback and I can take a look.

#2. Chrome Incognito Mode. Many of you are not checking your Google rankings correctly. You see when you simply go to Google, it personalizes your results because most likely you have a gmail account and so what you see when you type your keyword, is not true ranking results. There is a better way to check for rankings, but one simple way is to use Chrome’s incognito mode so you can see who is really on page 1 for your desired phrases. Go to Google Chrome and on top upper right, click on the lines and a box will open so you can use the Incognito Mode.

#3. SEM Rush. Ever wanted to check what your competitors are ranking for? Well, you can do a little bit of keyword spying by using SEM Rush with a free trial. You basically paste in your competitor’s URL, and you will see some keywords they are ranking for. Don’t be scared with all the numbers. You only want to check two things. “Pos,” which is what position they are currently holding in Google search results. (If they are on page one, it will be position 1-1; page two, position page 11-21; and so forth.) Also, check the volume of the keyword because if it does not have much volume per month, it may not be worth pursuing as a keyword for your own website or blog. I did a full webinar all about Google hacking and how you can spy on your competitors for different SEO opportunities. If you missed it, the replay is for sale. Click on link image below.

#4. Google Alert. Google Alert is a free tool by Google where you can be notified when there’s a mention of whatever keyword you tell it to watch for. This is best used to track your online reputation, so you can set up a Google alert for your business name and even a keyword topic you’re interested in. I set mine to receive only the best results, and only once a week.

#5. Local events in Google events. This is not a fast one but I had to include in in the list because I am intrigued. Get your local events to show up in Google results in this area as calendar events. Someone asked this question in the Social Proof Collective Facebook group, and I had no idea there was such a thing. I hope to do a video post in the future when I test it out myself, but I found a great step-by-step in this blog post by Whitespark. Follow their instructions to get your events in Google Calendar results.

#6. Google Search Console.Find some keywords you are ranking for with Google Search Console, formerly known as Webmaster Tools. I recommend all website/blog owners to sign up to both Google Analytics and Google Search Console. If you are not signed up, you can go to their website and follow the instructions. You basically need to add a meta tag on your site to connect the two and verify you are indeed the manager of the account. Once you are verified and they start showing data, then click on the URL you want to manage, and it takes you to the home dashboard. Then go to Search Traffic > Search Analysis and you can see some keywords you are ranking for.

#7. Remove your own website visits from Google Analytics. Ever wonder if Google counts your own visit as a visit to your website? Yes it does, but don’t worry… you are probably always on there, so it won’t really view it as a new session. An easy way to prevent this is to install one of these browser extensions.

Google Disconnect (Firefox).So which new hack did you find most interesting? Which will you try for your blog? Enjoy the tips? Continue the conversation over at the Fuse Lounge, my private FB group.If you are brand new to SEO, then check out my DIY SEO Check list

Running an online business should bring freedom, not frustration. I teach and equip creative business owners to get found online using sustainable SEO strategies. I am a mother, blogger, photographer, SEO strategist and my friends call me Fuse. If you want to learn a little more about me, visit my about page found on menu bar.